Delhi's Air Quality Plummets To 'Severe' Category; GRAP III Enacted, Construction Halted, Schools Shut

Amid rising concerns over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has called for a meeting today to discuss the implementation of stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

NEW DELHI: Despite several preventive measures taken by the Arvind Kejriwal government to curb air pollution in Delhi, the air quality in the national capital on Friday deteriorated to the 'severe' category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in the Lodhi Road area was recorded at 438, in Jahangirpuri at 491, in the RK Puram area at 486 and around IGI Airport (T3) 473.

Air quality across Delhi deteriorates to Severe category as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

AQI in Lodhi Road area at 438, in Jahangirpuri at 491, in RK Puram area at 486 and around IGI Airport (T3) 473 pic.twitter.com/EXV0Pq3Rnl

— ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2023

A thick layer of smog continues to engulf Delhi due to a decline in Air Quality. 

#WATCH | Thick layer of smog engulfs Delhi as Air Quality dips into 'Severe' category

(Visuals from Anand Vihar) pic.twitter.com/xHQ8x5YVZe

— ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2023

Delhi Govt Calls Emergency Meeting Today

In response to the escalating concerns over air pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has convened an emergency meeting to discuss the implementation of Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). "A meeting of all the concerned departments has been called on Friday at 12:00 p.m. to discuss the effective implementation of stage III of GRAP," Rai said.

GRAP III Implemented In Delhi

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has enforced Stage III of GRAP. It includes a ban on construction in the National Capital Region (NCR), with exemptions for essential services like railways, metro, healthcare, and defence-related activities.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the sub-committee under the GRAP held earlier today. The committee has also urged the state government to contemplate discontinuing offline classes till class V.

According to the CAQM, the GRAP for the NCR has been classified under four different stages of adverse air quality in Delhi viz. Stage I 'Poor' (AQI 201-300). Stage II 'Very poor' (AQI 301-400), Stage III 'Severe' (AQI 401-450) and Stage IV 'Severe +' (AQI>450).

The action plan was implemented as an emergency response mechanism to poor air quality levels. But this time, the government implemented GRAP even before the worsening of Delhi's air quality.

Meanwhile, the air quality of the national capital continued to remain in the 'very poor' category on Thursday for the fifth day in a row with an Air Quality Index of 346, according to SAFAR-India. As per the SAFAR-India, the city's AQI has been in the 'very poor' category since Sunday (309). Since then, the air quality has continued to worsen in Delhi. 

The AQI was recorded at 322 on Monday and 327 on Tuesday against 336 on Wednesday, as per the data provided by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)-India.

Strict Measures In Gurugram, Noida, Greater Noida

As the air quality in the region further deteriorated, authorities in Gurugram, Noida and other NCR regions ramped up strict measures to curb the pollution. As part of their efforts, the Gurugram District Magistrate issued an order under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1973 to combat air pollution in Gurugram.

The administration in the order said that the burning of waste materials, such as garbage, leaves, plastic, and rubber, has been strictly prohibited in all areas of Gurugram, news agency ANI reported. According to the order, individuals, groups or entities found to be in violation of this order shall be penalised in accordance with the relevant provisions of the law. 

The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board’s regional officer in Noida has invoked CAQM's provisions under GRAP III to address the worsening air quality.

Despite these measures, commuters continue to face health issues due to the unrelenting poor air quality in the region.